The Red Planet is in the headlines again, but this time not for a study carried out by the rovers that run through its surface or from the probes that crowd its orbit. This time, according to Global Science magazine, the research activities on Mars are ‘terrestrial’ and point towards one of the most inhospitable areas of our planet, an area of Ethiopia with climatic and geological features that evoke similar scenarios to those of Mars. We are talking about the Danakil Depression, which which has recently hosted five international team of researchers from IRSPS (International Research School of Planetary Sciences) of Pescara, Italy.
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There are two areas in which the efforts of the working groups have been concentrated to study its microbiology, chemistry and geology: the Mt. Dallol caldera and the Afrera salt lake.
Their campaign was supported by Europlanet 2020 Research Infrastructure, a project funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 program, which in the last two years has organized other field activities in the Danakil desert.
Dallol is a unique place for the conditions hostile to forms of life: it is over 100 meters below sea level and has a mix of extreme salinity, hot temperatures and acidity. The water that emerges is hot, rich in salts and the shape of the colorful pools are highly acidic, while the air is permeated with chlorine and sulfur vapors. The measurements and collection of samples in this area were aimed at verifying the possibility of habitable niches for microbial life forms despite an unfavorable environmental conditions.
Between Dallol and the Erta Ale volcano, the Afar depression has some resemblance to areas of Mars where the scientific activity of the TGO (Trace Gas Orbiter) of the ExoMars mission that is to begin soon. In addition to taking samples, the researchers have carried out a preliminary study on the structure of the hydrothermal systems to support the future observations of ExoMars.
The sites in question were also the subject of aerial photographs used to make the models DEM (Digital Elevation Model) that will then be compared with radar images taken from space to have two perspectives of the same places and evaluate their bumpy appearance under different points of view. This methodology, according to scholars, can be very useful for interpreting the images of the soil of Mars provided by the various missions in progress. The variety of activities carried out, which embrace various scientific disciplines, confirms the versatility of Danakil as a ground experiment for planetary research.
